of a whole household, on whom the breath of heaven was hardly allowed to blow, and who, but a few short days before, would have been surrounded by a whole host of doctors if but my finger ached, was now to be exposed to the shot and shells of a real enemy. It appeared to me impossible; and I was much more afraid of being hurt than killed. When the drum beat to quarters, my heart was in my mouth; and although we sailed gaily into action, with the band playing "God save the King," not all the pomp of war, or even the ridicule of my more experienced companions, could overcome the agony of my sensations. I was stationed on the quarter-deck, I suppose in order to accustom me to stand fire, and was nominally one of the captain's aides-decamp; I say nominally, because, if he had not had others of more use to him than I was, he would have been but indifferently served. I stood under the poop awning, almost paralysed with fear; I do not think any power on earth could have induced me to have moved one inch from the place where I happened to be when the shot was fired. To add to my terror, as soon as the ship struck against the ground, I heard the admiral say distinctly to the captain,

each. Happily for him, an ensign who was near, forgetting in his general's peril, all rules of discipline and forms of ceremony, actually forced him from the estoccade. He had not put his foot on the river bank, when the machine blew | up. The bridge was burst through; the estoccade was shattered almost to atoms, and, with all that it supported— men, cannon, and the huge machinery employed in the various works-dispersed in the air. The cruel Marquis of Roubais, many other officers, and 800 soldiers, perished, in all varieties of deaths, by flood or flame, or the horrid wounds from the missiles with which the terrible machine was overcharged. Fragments of bodies and limbs were flung far and wide; and many gallant soldiers were destroyed, without a vestige of the human form being left to prove that they had ever existed. The river, forced from its bed at either side, rushed into the forts, and drowned numbers of their garrisons; while the ground far beyond shook as in an earthquake. The prince soon recovered, and by his presence of mind, humanity, and resolution, he endeavoured, with incredible quickness, to repair the mischief. He speedily raised the confidence of his army as high as ever, and, by his manoeuvres, forced the city to capitulate, after a siege of four-"Codrington, we shall be all blown up;

teen months.

MY FIRST ACTION.

THE operations against the town of Flushing not keeping pace with our commander-in-chief's impatience, he determined to force the batteries with his squadron; and as our ship bore the flag of Lord G-, the second in command, we were to follow next in the line to him, giving the town the advantage of our broadsides as we passed. Whether in our ardour we went too near the shore, or whether we drew more water than our leader, we grounded stern-on to the batteries, and were consequently exposed to the whole weight of the enemy's fire, without being able to return but a few shots from our stern-chasers. I shall never forget my sensations on this occasion. When told that we were preparing for action, I could scarcely believe that my precious person was to be endangered; that I, so lately the pet

it will be impossible to get her off before next tide." This was an awful moment for older and braver hands than I: we could do nothing with our guns, and the men were ordered to lie down at their quarters. The shot passed over us and through us; and we could use only the carronades on the poop, which was dreadfully exposed to the enemy's fire. One single shot did horrid execution among the marines, by striking a stand of arms, and killing or wounding several men with the splinters. I shall not easily forget a poor corporal of marines, who had both his arms and both his legs shot off, as he was elevating a carronade on the poop. It is now twenty years ago, yet the poor man's countenance is as plainly before me at this moment as if it were only yesterday, as he was carried past me to be lowered down the hatchway to the surgeon below. He bore the amputation of three of his limbs, and died under the operation of the fourth. At length the gun-boats and

[ARCHDUKE FERDINAND ENDEAVOURING TO DISLODGE THE FRENCH TROOPS.] AFTER a long suspension of hostilities, consequent upon negociations between Great Britain and the contending powers, Austria and France, the two latter determined to take the field again. Austria had acquired strength by repose; her troops had all the enthusiasm of a new army, and was commanded by the Archduke Ferdinand-a young, ardent, and resolute prince, possessed of great personal bravery.

covered the plain and the heights with their columns.

The archduke passed the Iser on the 29th of November, debouched by Muldorf and by Crayburg, bore upon the left of the French army, and threatened to cut off its communications. This was a bold and well-concerted manoeuvre; but the ground being wet and full of ruts, the Austrian forces were obliged to take up a position. They established themselves in front of Ampfingen, and VOL. III.

Night having set in, Ney contented himself with following the line of their advanced posts along their front; but daybreak was still distant when he perceived them in motion. He saw them first reduce, then extinguish their fires; and, not doubting that they were preparing to march towards him, he made ready to receive them. Nor indeed were they long in debouching. They threw heavy masses of cavalry upon his centre, drove in his advanced posts, and threatening his right wing and his rear, pushed dense columns of infantry towards the woods of Archau and Hasslach. Ney, who had a quick eye upon their motions, despatched General Ruffin to the woods, and directed General Deperrieres to occupy the village. Both of

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But

these officers were active, brave and devoted; and the archduke exhausted himself in useless efforts to dislodge them. In vain did he bring up his columns to the charge-in vain did he press upon the centre and left wing of the French he was always repulsed, and kept in check upon every point. The courage of the republican soldiers vied with the talents of their leaders; and they not only drove back the enemy's columns, but pursued, overthrew, and forced some of them to lay down their arms.

The disproportion in numbers was, however, too great to allow of Ney's further continuing the contest; he, therefore, retired slowly and in good order, without allowing the cavalry, which pressed upon him, to obtain the least advantage. A piece of cannon, 1200 prisoners, and so unequal a combat maintained during a whole day, already formed a noble feat of arms. But what renders it still more admirable, and stamped it with real importance, was the fact, that it broke the movement of the archduke, and gave Moreau time to collect his forces.

from St. Christophe to Ebersburg. Moreau perceived all the advantages which time and locality afforded him, and did not despair of overpowering the centre before the forces by which it was to be supported could be formed into line. Grenier received orders not to seek the enemy, but only to endeavour to check their advance if they appeared. Richepanse was sent into the forest to take them in flank; but they already occupied every glade and every path, and the French general was obliged to engage them, although separated from the forces which followed him. He continued to advance, nevertheless, and reached the nucleus of the defile. The Austrians being here entangled in deep glens, he charged and broke them.

Their ranks being thus thrown into confusion, Moreau soon perceived their wavering and indecision. Judging, therefore, that Richepanse was driving them before him, he forced them back into the wood. Ney gives the following account of this part of the action, which he himself directed:

"At six o'clock in the morning, the enemy, with considerable force, consisting principally of artillery, attacked us near Hohenlinden, on the high road to Muldorf, directing their greatest efforts against the right of General Grouchy, who received them with vigour. Soon after, my division was warmly attacked, and the enemy began to gain the heights of Krainaker. The general-in-chief, judging that they were not yet entirely free from the defile, ordered a general

The Austrians, fancying that the French army was retiring, began to pursue it. Kinmayer was advancing upon Darfen, Baillet marching towards Prievendorf, and Riczel endeavouring to reach St. Christophe. The prince him- | self occupied the causeway of Haag; and the Austrian army, resuming its movement, persisted in endeavouring to turn the French. Unfortunately for the Imperialists, the season was not favour-attack. able to such vast combinations. The ground, as we have before observed, was broken up, and the lateral columns were obliged to follow narrow and difficult roads, cut up by waggons, and rendered almost impassable by the heavy rains. That alone pursued by the arch-attack, obliged the enemy to make a duke had a firm and spacious causeway. This difference in the roads necessarily caused a great difference in the march, and it was upon this circumstance that Moreau formed his plan of battle.

Ney, and the remainder of Grenier's troops, had established themselves on the left of Hohenlinden; Grouchy held all the approaches to the forest, which extended as far as the village; and the reserve, in position on the right, reached

The columns of attack debouched upon Hohenlinden, in order to reach the height on the left near Krainaker, and that on the road to Burkrain, which the enemy already occupied in strong force. The velocity of the manœuvre, together with the vigour of the

precipitate retreat. It was now twelve o'clock. At this juncture Grouchy's division, on my right, forced the enemy's left to make a retrograde movement, and the rout of the latter was soon complete.

"Having become masters of the defile of Mattenpot, a quantity of artillery and ammunition-waggons fell into our hands. General Heudelet's brigade, in which was Adjutant-general Puffin, pursued

left dead on the field of battle, whilst the French had not 300 hors-decombat.

the routed enemy as far as the lastnamed village, and effected a junction with Richepanse's division, which had just debouched upon this point, and was Having achieved this splendid feat, vigorously beset. The two generals the republicans made ready to gather acted in concert, to force the latter to a the fruits of their victory. They accordcomplete retreat upon Haag. Mean-ingly marched upon the Inn, and prewhile, the column on the right, under the command of the Archduke John, began to debouch upon Preiserdorf and Hartofen, in order to develope the left of Bonnet's division; whilst a second column from Burkrain had already begun to emerge from the forest, and advance by a cross road upon Hohenlinden. But the two last battalions of the 163rd, the battalions of grenadiers, the 76th, the 13th dragoons, and the 19th cavalry, were placed by echelons upon the several openings. These, in conjunction with Bonnet's division, succeeded not only in keeping the enemy in check, but even in repulsing them with loss.

"General Heudelet's brigade having skirted the wood, and driven the enemy as far as Haag, I directed that it should return towards Schnauping, with the 8th regiment of chasseurs, in order to follow the enemy, who seemed to be obtaining some success on our left. This brigade took up its position in front of the village, and was upon the flank of the enemy, who had taken up theirs behind Burkrain. It was now seven o'clock in the evening.

"The combined movements of the neighbouring divisions, together with the vigorous exertions of that under my command, made us masters of eighty pieces of cannon, an immense number of ammunition-waggons, many pairs of colours, and about 6000 prisoners, among whom were several general officers, and a great number of distinguished field officers.

"The brigadier-generals of my division generally, the officers of every rank, and the men of every corps, did their duty on this memorable day."

Such was the fate of the archduke's forces. Pressed and forced back upon each other, the columns could not withstand the shock of the French army, and they either dispersed or laid down their arms. The lateral columns were not more fortunate. Before night the French had taken 100 pieces of cannon and 11,000 prisoners: 6,000 Austrians were

pared to turn the Tyrol, for the purpose of seizing the communications between Vienna and Italy; but the undertaking was by no means unattended with difficulty. It was necessary to cross a deep and precipitously imbedded river, which Turenne himself had pointed out as a formidable line of defence. Nevertheless, if the passage were not surprised, it would be impossible to isolate the scattered corps of the imperial army. Moreau therefore resolved to make the attempt. His centre and right wing rested upon Rosenheim; Ney advanced upon Muldorf, to carry the tete-de-pont which covered that place. Unfortunately, the immense plain which separates the Inn from the Iser prevented him from pressing the work with vigour. The enemy might have debouched upon Crayburg, and placed the French army in peril. Ney sought a means of securing it from this danger, and calculated on the possibility of carrying Crayburg, which would enable him the more easily to become master of Muldorf. Having explored the banks of the Inn, he fancied he perceived a ford at a little distance from Eusdorf. On questioning the peasants, he found all of his opinion, that the river was fordable in that place. The unanimity of their opinions on this point made him resolve to try what confidence might be placed on their information. He therefore directed his engineers to sound the depth of the water, and ascertain whether or not the troops could cross. The engineers expressed some doubt; but as the capture of Crayburg would have offered so many advantages towards effecting that of Muldorf, by bringing to a turn the movement on the right, and forcing many very important openings, he insisted upon trying the experiment. The water was too deep, and he was forced to give up all idea of this coup-demain.

Though unable to carry the place, he determined at all events to occupy one of the hamlets which supported it, and